What is it with these guys that makes them so obsessive over women's vaginas? It's not just a problem in Congress, but within many state legislatures as well.
Here's what happened in Wisconsin a couple of weeks ago. A measure was ramrodded through that state's senate, mandating vaginal probes for any woman needing an abortion (SB 206). And my use of the term "ramrodded" was purely intentional.
A number of senate Democrats attempted to debate the bill, a perfectly rational action. But Senate President Mike Ellis, a Republican, stifled all attempts at discussion, going batshit crazy in the process. (I was unable to establish a link with the video, but accessing the Youtube search engine and keying in "Senator Mike Ellis" will bring it up. It runs 2:47). Maybe the good burghers of Wisconsin's 19th Senatorial District will commit this video to their cerebral memory banks when they cast their ballots next year. We can only hope.
In the meantime, Congressional Republicans continue to obsess over women's reproductive issues while cutting food stamps (the majority of whose beneficiaries are employed). Still, they think nothing of approving subsidies to wealthy farmers and corporate agriculture.
George Carlin was right on target with this declaration:
If you're pre-born, you're fine.
If you're pre-SCHOOL, you're f**ked!
Too bad he didn't take better care of himself.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Women's Choice: The Heros and the Not-So-Heroic
Here we are: Legions of folks are hungering for decent jobs that pay a livable wage, we're plagued with a crumbling infrastructure, and public schools are being defunded in favor of privatized education and building prisons. Yet we have a Congress that's so dysfunctional that they can't even pass a simple one-page bill that would reverse the sequester (HR 900). This so-called "sequester" consisted of a series of measures so draconian that no one would dare let it happen.
But lo and behold: here we are. Nutrition and Head-Start programs are getting butchered along with numerous other vital social programs that enrich us as a society.
According to the gospel of many public officials, especially those elected with Tea Party support, government serves a single function: to regulate the traffic in and out of women's vaginas. That's it!
That's why it was so refreshing to witness Texas State Senator Wendy Davis successfully sustain her one-woman filibuster against daunting odds during a legislative session. She managed to temporarily defeat a draconian measure which, although intended to limit abortions, would have defunded many of the state's women's health clinics. It was likely just a symbolic victory; the same legislation will be reintroduced next week. But Senator Davis seems to have achieved iconic status, not only in Texas, but well beyond.
Some meaningful pushback toward the misogynists in public office has been a long time coming. Let's hope there's more.
But lo and behold: here we are. Nutrition and Head-Start programs are getting butchered along with numerous other vital social programs that enrich us as a society.
According to the gospel of many public officials, especially those elected with Tea Party support, government serves a single function: to regulate the traffic in and out of women's vaginas. That's it!
That's why it was so refreshing to witness Texas State Senator Wendy Davis successfully sustain her one-woman filibuster against daunting odds during a legislative session. She managed to temporarily defeat a draconian measure which, although intended to limit abortions, would have defunded many of the state's women's health clinics. It was likely just a symbolic victory; the same legislation will be reintroduced next week. But Senator Davis seems to have achieved iconic status, not only in Texas, but well beyond.
Some meaningful pushback toward the misogynists in public office has been a long time coming. Let's hope there's more.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Chairman Issa's Digestive Tract is Working Overtime
Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) enjoys the spotlight, no doubt about it. As chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, he avails himself of the opportunities.
Among his dubious achievements: Stifling legislation intended to restore the financial health of the US Postal Service. As a chairman of the relevant committee, he succeeded in killing the measure, despite its likelihood of passage. (Details are available in the first post on this blog, dated 2/28/12).
Chairman Issa (pronounced ICE-uh) is currently focused on recent problems with the Internal Revenue Service. He seems determined to link the IRS's recently cited irregularities --- including the alleged pinpointing of Tea Party groups for questionable exemption claims, and wildly excessive expenses for training sessions --- to the Obama administration.
(A brief sidebar: The 96 Tea-Party organizations that were red-flagged were among a group of 298 committees spanning the political spectrum. Only one actually lost its tax-exempt status: a Democratic-leaning, New-England-based group).
The Good Chairman seems to have an ironbound determination to demonize the White House, despite lack of evidence. During a recent interview with journalist Candy Crowley, he stated that "he knew in his gut that somebody in the White House knew something." Here's a clip from Lawrence O'Donnell's MSNBC program, The Last Word. (The entire 14-minute video is worth watching, but the relevant snippet runs from 6:03 to 6:24): It's In His Gut.
I'll grant you this: The Chairman's gut has served him well. Considering the fact that he's just a shade shy of 60, Mr. Issa cuts a dashing figure, snappy suits and all. His digestive and metabolic processes appear to function smashingly well, unlike those of his soul-mate Rush Limbaugh. So I guess it's understandable why he should maintain such unswerving faith in his intestinal tract.
However, Mr. Issa's gut faith seems to be wearing thin as a political tactic. Even some of his Republican chums are advising him to cool his jets!
Among his dubious achievements: Stifling legislation intended to restore the financial health of the US Postal Service. As a chairman of the relevant committee, he succeeded in killing the measure, despite its likelihood of passage. (Details are available in the first post on this blog, dated 2/28/12).
Chairman Issa (pronounced ICE-uh) is currently focused on recent problems with the Internal Revenue Service. He seems determined to link the IRS's recently cited irregularities --- including the alleged pinpointing of Tea Party groups for questionable exemption claims, and wildly excessive expenses for training sessions --- to the Obama administration.
(A brief sidebar: The 96 Tea-Party organizations that were red-flagged were among a group of 298 committees spanning the political spectrum. Only one actually lost its tax-exempt status: a Democratic-leaning, New-England-based group).
The Good Chairman seems to have an ironbound determination to demonize the White House, despite lack of evidence. During a recent interview with journalist Candy Crowley, he stated that "he knew in his gut that somebody in the White House knew something." Here's a clip from Lawrence O'Donnell's MSNBC program, The Last Word. (The entire 14-minute video is worth watching, but the relevant snippet runs from 6:03 to 6:24): It's In His Gut.
I'll grant you this: The Chairman's gut has served him well. Considering the fact that he's just a shade shy of 60, Mr. Issa cuts a dashing figure, snappy suits and all. His digestive and metabolic processes appear to function smashingly well, unlike those of his soul-mate Rush Limbaugh. So I guess it's understandable why he should maintain such unswerving faith in his intestinal tract.
However, Mr. Issa's gut faith seems to be wearing thin as a political tactic. Even some of his Republican chums are advising him to cool his jets!
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